Shooting rockets. Blood spitting. Face Paint. Shiny Boots and utterly jaw dropping triumphant live shows: Kiss have been confirmed as Friday's headliner for Sonisphere Festival UK. With a reputation for being perhaps the most flamboyant and entertaining band on the planet, the American Kings will bring their stage extravaganza to Sonisphere as their only European performance of 2012.

Grammy Awards Nominations, Top 20 albums, live appearances on Jools Holland. These things are not encountered in the day to day dealings of your average Heavy Metal band, but then Mastodon are far from average. Undoubtedly the most critically acclaimed Metal band in recent years, Mastodon's progressive take on the genre has seen them become the one heavy band that everyone can agree on.

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Hot off the back of a sold-out UK tour in support of latest album 'The Hunter', Mastodon will perform their latest opus in its entirety exclusively at Sonisphere. Says drummer Brann Dailor: "Me and the guys couldn't be more thrilled to play Sonisphere. It's always a blast, the crowds are always incredible. We look forward to seeing you in person."

Sometimes you can't get enough of a good thing, which is why Sonisphere is welcoming back the mighty Metal powerhouse Gojira. Opening the Apollo stage, the fierce French foursome will ensure a punishingly heavy start to the Saturday of Sonisphere and give UK fans the first chance to hear new material from their fifth album – and the band's first release on Roadrunner.

And if that wasn't enough, Within Temptation will play their only UK show of 2012 on the Friday at Sonisphere's Apollo stage. BOOM!